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In this year’s Queens Birthday Honours Jill Parker of Mortlake was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for service to local government, and to the community of South West Victoria, including as Moyne Shire Councillor and current member of Mortlake Fire Brigade as Treasurer and Communications Officer. A former Fire Safe Kids Officer and Community Bushfire Safety Liaison Officer, Jill has also received the National Medal (with 40-year clasp) and National Emergency Medal.
To get to know Jill, we asked for some personal insights into her life, especially with the CFA.
1. What have been your roles with the CFA and are you still involved?
I’m still involved but not as active on fire trucks these days. I’m still involved at the Incident Control Centre (ICC) and I’m treasurer of the Mortlake Fire Brigade and Comms Officer for the Mortlake Group. I’m also a former Fire Safe Kids Officer, Community Bushfire Safety Liaison Officer, and I have the National Medal with 40-year clasp and a National Emergency Medal. I’m a situation officer at the ICC.
2. What drives you to undertake roles, with CFA or anywhere, with such a focus on serving communities?
If there’s a job to be done, someone has to do it, and if I’m available and I can do it, I will.
My parents were role models. My father was in the CFA and my mother in the CWA and other community organisations. It’s just what the family did and what I know.
I’ve been 11 years as a Councillor on the Moyne Shire, I’m Vice President of the Corangamite Regional Library Corporation, and on the Municipal Emergency Management Planning committee. Outside of council I am Chair of the Barwon South West Waste and Resource Recovery Group, I recently retired as chair of Leadership Great South Coast and I’m on the Ballarat Anglican Diocesan Corporation Board.
3. What prompted you to join the CFA?
When we moved to Mortlake in 1973, we lived across the road from Fred Fairbairn who was a comms person for the Mortlake Rural Brigade. My husband Doug was a member of the brigade so Fred installed a radio set in our house and by default I became the comms person. Doug was never in the house when we had our lunchtime scheds, so it fell to me.
4. What is most important thing you’ve learned in your time as a CFA volunteer?
I have done incident management training with the CFA which I enjoyed, but the main thing I’ve learnt is the need for teamwork and the ability to be flexible, depending on the need at the time, whether it be on a strike team or on the radio or getting lunch for people.
5. What do you think your best achievements are in your role with CFA?
Being appointed the VFBV board is probably my greatest achievement, alongside being a situation officer at the ICC. I was approached to join the VFBV Board to ensure there was representation from this area. I think the VFBV is very important, particularly at the moment. The next 12 months are going to be very interesting and there could be a lot of change. It’s unfortunate the proposals have created tension between volunteers and paid staff. Volunteers have many of the same skills and training as paid firefighters but they also have other skills, especially local knowledge and they can provide local information that is critical.
6. What is your best memory - funny or serious – about your time with CFA as a volunteer?
I was on a strike team that went to Dargo several years ago. Heather McIntyre was our crew leader and we went to do mopping up work. We were driven up from Bairnsdale by one of the crew who was a transport driver, then after we’d finished Heather said Jill will drive home. I must have done all right because he managed to go to sleep. I did have my qualifications at the time so I showed women can do it as well as men. It might have been a lesson that we’re all volunteers and it’s not segregated on gender.
7. Which was your favourite role or activity with CFA and why?
I like working as a situation officer, providing up-to-date information about weather changes and what’s happening with the fire. I always enjoy the camaraderie.
8. What makes a good CFA volunteer?
Someone who is prepared to listen, put in, and share their knowledge.
Congratulations Jill and thanks for being such an inspiring part of our VFBV/CFA family.
